Life in the Stables
by SatAMNerd15
Summary: Link is running across Termina field and one Stalfos curse later he wakes up to find his life has changed forever. How will he cope to life on Lon Lon Ranch and more importantly, how will he ever change back! Chapter 14 is finally out
1. Cruel Fate

This is my first legend of Zelda fan fiction. I decided to take a break from writing sonic fan fiction for a while, since I've run out of ideas. And for the smart people out there, who manage to figure out the spell, please don't tell any of the more simple readers : )

Life in the Stables.

Link raced across Termina field as the stalfos pursued him. It was almost day break, so he knew that they would disappear soon, but he still had a hard time keeping his focus and not succumbing to fear.

The bad part was that these weren't ordinary stalfos. Usually, Link could battle them easily when they were only soldiers, but before their death these stalfos had been powerful warlocks and were capable of great magic. Without the master sword, Link only had the kokori sword to defend himself and so he had decided that his best option was to flee.

"Capture the boy………. Make him one of us!"

Link gasped with relief as he felt the morning sunlight blind him. He rubbed his eyes, and then turned around to find the stalfos sinking into the ground as they shouted curses at the hero. Link eyed one particular Stalfos, whose gaze was fixed firmly on him. Just as they almost completely disappeared from sight, he heard three strange words that he had never heard before:

"Esroh otni egnahc!"

Link saw a bright yellow light engulf the world around him and then suddenly, all was black.

Link awoke to find a small girl throwing water over his face. He shook it off and then tried to stand up. For some strange reason, his arms and legs felt unusually long and disfigured. He couldn't seem to stand up.

"Don't worry little horsey. I'll help!"

The girl grabbed link's torso and proceeded to help him get off the ground and back onto his feet. He tried to thank her, but all that came out of his mouth was a long grunt. The girl seemed to know what he meant though.

"You're welcomed horsey!"

Link wondered, why did she keep calling him horsey? He tried to walk forward, but for some reason he couldn't feel his toes. He looked downwards to have a look for himself and his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets.

His legs were unnaturally long and skinny and his feet just looked like black cubes. Then he looked towards his arms, or at least where they used to be. They were gone!

"But I felt my arms before! Where are they?" he thought to himself.

He tried to look around, but his neck had changed too. It was longer and more diagonal. He could only just look around and see what else had happened to him.

His body had become long and round and he was also horrified to see a tail at the end! He then realised what had happened to his arms, he had been looking at them before! His legs were at the other end of his body and were equally long and thin. He needed to see more.

He looked around the room he was in to find that he wasn't in some hospital room, he was in a barn! Around him he could see cows, chickens and many other barnyard animals. Luckily, he could also see a mirror on the far wall. He found it difficult to walk, but he managed to get close enough to the mirror to see what had happened to his face.

It was much longer and wider than it should have been. He still had blonde hair, but he had a lot more of it than he had expected to find. It went all the way down his neck and drooped down a lot of his body. He could see that he didn't have hair anymore, he had a mane! His eyes were both completely black and were at opposite sides of his face. His nose was directly at the bottom of his face and his nostrils were huge. He could feel his mouth just below this and felt very disturbed when he realised the shape of his jaw was much longer than it had been before.

Link finally realised what had happened. The girl joined him next to the mirror and laughed.

"Admiring the view horsey? I gotta say, you're one of the best lookin' horses I've found for a while!"

That's why she kept calling him by that name. Link tried to cry out, but all he heard was a loud naying groan. He had been turned into a horse!

Please leave reviews : )


	2. Introductions

Here's the second part of my Zelda fan fiction. I was off school today and I didn't have anything better to do XD.

Anyways, if you're wondering why I've got characters from two different games in this, it's because I only just realised that Malon was out of Ocarina of time, not Majoras mask, so I decided to add the farm girls from that game too. If you have any problems with this story, please express them in the form of reviews. Enjoy : )

Link turned his head and stared at the girl. She had fiery red hair, bright green eyes and was wearing a white dress that came down to her ankles, with a yellow scarf hanging over her shoulders. She was about as tall as he had been in his human form, so he guessed she must have been about twelve years old.

"My name's Malon. What's yours?"

Link remembered a girl from Hyrule named Malon who lived on a ranch in the middle of Hyrule field, so he figured that Termina must have its own Malon as well. From what he remembered about the Malon he knew in Hyrule, he had nothing to fear while he was in her care. She would kill anyone who tried anything to hurt her animals. Still, that didn't make Link feel any better about his predicament.

He turned back towards the mirror and took a few steps back to get a better look at himself. He had a blonde mane and the rest of his new body was completely white. He didn't look like a mature horse, which he believed was probably because of his age in human years. He heard Malon laughing behind him.

"I guess you're still a little shaken? That's alright, I'll just think of my own name for you."

She stared funnily at Link and he started to slowly back away.

"You're gold hair is really shiny, how about sunshine?"

Link growled at her. Even as a horse, he still had human dignity. Malon laughed

"Erm… ok, bad decision. How about…."

Suddenly, Malon's gaze left Link's new face. He looked the same direction and was surprised to see a mark on his neck. It looked like a scar.

"Oh you poor thing! Hey, it looks like writing!"

Link was confused. He couldn't see the scar well enough from where he was.

"Let's see….. It says……. Link?"

Link was confused. Not to say he wasn't shocked by the fact that he had just woken up as a horse, but why was his name scarred on his neck?

"What a funny word. Hey, is that your name?"

Link just managed to shake his head and produce something that to him at least felt like a smile.

"Wow. I guess a funny name like Link would be good for a funny horse like you!"

Malon threw her arms around Link's neck and hugged him as she laughed.

"Then that's your name horsey! I'm gonna call you Link! Now, what say I show you around your new home?"

Malon reached into a large pocket in the front of her dress and pulled out a long rope. She fastened it around link's neck and began pulling him towards the exit to the barn.

"Don't worry Link; I just saw that you had trouble walking before so this should help you along until you get your balance."

With Malon's help, Link was slowly and steadily able to keep his balance and walk with his new body. It felt weird walking with his arms as well as his legs, but then he figured that it wasn't very different from crawling on your hands and feat as an infant.

The sun in Link's eyes reminded him of his fight with the warlock Stalfos as they exited the barn. Link went over those three strange words in his head over and over again.

"_Esroh otni egnahc…….."_

"Watch out Link, you nearly walked over that cuckoo."

Link snapped out of his thoughts and stared down at an angry cuckoo who was staring angrily at him. Link knew all about what happened when you hurt a cuckoo too much, so he bowed his head in apology and continued to follow Malon.

"Cousin Malon! Cousin Malon!"

Link and Malon turned their heads and saw a young girl who seemed to be about age six running towards them. Apart from her height and voice, she looked exactly like Malon.

"Romani! Hey there!"

Malon bent down and picked up the young girl as she ran into her arms. Link couldn't help but laugh. Because of their large height differences, it looked as if Malon was hugging a doll.

"Is that a new horsey Malon? Did you name it yet? I wanna name it!"

Malon laughed and shook her head.

"Yes he is, yes I did and no you can't I'm afraid. Sorry Romani, but we both agreed on a name. I called him Link!"

Romani made a face at her older cousin.

"No fair! You always name the new horses before I get a chance!"

Malon briefly turned away from her cousin and winked at Link, who shuddered when he thought of what was coming next.

"Well, I'm sure he want's to be friends with you anyway right Link?"

Malon lifted her cousin higher and placed her on Link's back as she cheered and clapped. Malon whispered in Link's ear.

"Just a little ride ok Link? I know you're a little shaken, but she doesn't way that much."

Link sighed and began walking with Malon as she tugged h8im along with her rope. He couldn't help but give a faint smile as he listened to Romani having the time of her life.

"Yay! I wanna go on the track! Come on horsey let's go on the track!"

Malon began lightly tugging link towards what seemed like a giant oval road that had been built into the middle of the grass.

"OK, just turn into the starting line now, ok Horsey? Sorry, I mean Link?" Malon said as she pulled Link onto the track.

It was then that Link figured out the Stalfos spell. Esroh otni egnahc / change into horse!

Just as he began to Panic, Link felt a soothing sensation in her neck. He suddenly felt completely relaxed. He turned his head as much as he could and saw that Romani was massaging his neck.

"Thanks' for the ride Link! I hope you like your massage!"

Malon laughed.

"Romani can relax any horse when she massages their neck. It just goes to show you how great our family is with animals."

Romani stopped massaging Link, leaned forward and hugged his neck.

"And now you're part of our family too Mr Horsey!"

Link gulped. It was going to be a long day.


	3. Frightening changes

Here's part three. Hope you enjoy!

After a lap walking around the track, Malon lifted Romani down off of Link's back and kissed her on the forehead, before she ran off towards a house in the middle of the ranch. Link looked up and saw that it was getting late.

"Its dinner time anyway Link."

Malon smiled at Link and began guiding him back to the barn.

"First impressions are usually the hardest and you just gave Romani the time of her life! You should be proud of yourself!"

Link sighed. Yeah, he was really proud of himself. He had just given a six year old girl an _actual_ horse ride around an _actual_ horse track.

"Great!" he thought, "Now I can help Malon earn some money by selling 5 minute rides around Termina field!"

Malon somehow sensed how Link was feeling. She stopped and began stroking him along his face.

"It's ok Link, you're probably just still a little tired from whatever happened to you before I found you. Tell you what, how about we get you something to eat?"

Romani ran into the house laughing as Cremia began scooping spoonfuls of stew into bowls for herself, her sister and her cousin. She stopped when she felt Romani tugging her dress.

"Romani! Romani! Malon found a new horsey and he's really fun and she calls him Link but I just call him Mr Horsey and he gave me a really fun ride around the track and he's a really cute horse too and I got to massage his mane and he really liked it and…."

"Whoa whoa, slow down sis!"

Cremia laughed and combed through Romani's hair with her hand. Her sister had a tendency to be a little hyperactive when it was getting close to dinner.

"How about you tell me all about it over some stew? Where did you say Malon was by the way?"

Romani pointed out of the window towards the barn.

"I think I heard her say she's gonna give Mr Horsey something to eat!"

Cremia sighed. Malon was always late for dinner for some reason or another. She scooped up Romani and placed her on a chair.

"Why don't you start dinner without us sis? I'll go and ask Malon how long she's going to be."

Romani nodded and began shovelling Cremia's stew into her mouth. Cremia walked towards the barn, eager to see what was so special about the horse Malon had found.

Link stared in amazement as Malon wheeled a huge white coloured circle into the barn. She dropped it just in front of him, and then dropped a bail of hay right beside it.

"Dinner time Link. My specialty! Salt lick and hay!"

Malon smiled warmly at the confused Link. Was he really supposed to eat horse food? He leant forwards and sniffed the food. It smelled ok……

"Dig in Link!"

Link sighed. It wasn't as if he was going to be eating five star meals every night while he was stuck as a horse, so he might as well get used to enjoying what he was given. He slowly began licking the salt lick. It didn't taste too bad…..

"Malon! We're waiting for you!"

Link looked up and saw what was obviously another one of Malon's relatives. She was much taller than Malon and Romani and wore a white and purple dress as well as a long brown apron. Her hair was red, but it was slightly longer then Malon's and Romani's. Link also noticed that she had an air of authority around her, which made him come to the conclusion that she must be the adult of the ranch.

"Sorry Cremia, I'm just giving Link his dinner."

Cremia joined Malon in front of Link and looked him over.

"Wow, what a handsome horse. But he look's a little too young to help with the farm work…."

Malon sighed.

"That's exactly what you said to me when I first moved here and I turned out fine! Please let me keep him!"

Link grunted. As much as he knew that Malon was only being kind to him, he hated the idea of being thought of as a pet. Cremia smiled at Malon calmly began stroking Link's mane.

"Did I say anything about making you get rid of him? I would never turn away an animal in need. I just need to think about the farm work is all. Of course you can keep him Malon. I get the feeling that if you take care of this horse right then he could be a champion some day!"

Malon's eyes lit up. She hugged Cremia as hard as she could.

"Yay! Link can stay!"

Cremia kneeled down and whispered in Malon's ear.

"Just finish quickly and come to dinner ok? Get this horse to the stables where he can meet our other horses."

Malon nodded and began pulling Link back out of the barn and towards another wooden building at the other end of the ranch, just next to the horse track where he had given Romani her ride.

"Darn. Just as I started enjoying my salt lick…"

Link shook his head. What was he thinking?

It had begun raining outside the stables. Malon had dropped off Link, and then ran back to the house for dinner, leaving Link in 'is own exclusive stall'. He stared at the other horses asleep in the stable. They were all asleep standing up, so he figured he should do the same.

Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, there was a huge burst of thunder outside. He began neighing loudly and stamping his hooves wildly.

"Thunder too loud! Thunder too loud!"

The other horses were instantly awake and stamping and neighing as loudly as Link. Suddenly, the doors burst open and Malon, Romani and Cremia were all standing there. Romani and Cremia instantly went to work on calmly the other horses down, while Malon ran towards Link.

"Whoa boy! It's ok! Malon's here!"

Link instantly began to calm down. Everything was clear to him now, the fear was gone.

"Poor horseys!" Romani shouted, "They were all scared by that nasty thunder!"

Link began to cry as he took in all that had just happened.

"What's happening to me?"


	4. Same old hero

Here's part 4. I hope this story isn't too poorly written and if you want some more action, I'm getting to it I swear. Anyways, enjoy it.

Link woke up as early as he could the next morning. The other horses were still asleep, so he knew that Malon, Cremia and Romani hadn't started their chores yet. He needed to get off the ranch and find a way to change himself back, before he forgot who he was altogether.

He slowly crept through the stable towards the door, which was already half open. He sneaked out as quietly as he could, being careful not to make even the slightest creek.

Out into the ranch. Everything was quiet. The sun hadn't come up yet, so Link figured he had a very good chance of making it out of the ranch without being seen. He quickly began making his way across the field.

Everything was going great….

"Here they come! Get your bow ready!"

Link followed the voice and saw Malon and Cremia aiming some bows into thin air. What was wrong? That's when he heard it. A creepy, eerie sound began to manifest itself all around Link. Then, as mysteriously as the sound had appeared, strange figures began to appear all around the barn.

They were round creatures with large orange eyes and completely black faces. They hovered in the air and seemed to have their targets focused on just one thing – the girls.

"Fire!"

As Malon and Cremia fired hundreds upon hundreds of bows into the mysterious creatures, they began vanishing in huge bursts of bright light, only to reappear again seconds later.

"Keep firing Malon! We have to keep them away from the cows!"

"But we're running out of arrows!"

Link knew he wouldn't be sneaking away tonight. He ran towards the two girls as a group of the creatures began to surround them. He leapt into the creatures and instantly they were gone, though Link could see that they just reappeared from where they had started.

"Link! What are you doing here?"

Cremia shouted at Malon telling her to begin firing again as she spoke.

"That doesn't matter right now Malon! All I know is that that horse is really good at killing aliens! Go get em' Link!"

Link didn't need to hear anything else. He catapulted himself into Alien after alien all through the night as the girls covered him with their arrows.

"Keep going! It's nearly sunrise!"

Soon, the aliens began to vaporise in the sunlight as it shone all over the ranch. They had won.

"Yes! Malon we did it!"

Malon ran towards Link and threw her arms around him.

"Don't forget Link!"

Cremia walked towards them and smiled.

"I'll bet! That horse of yours is the strongest I've ever seen and he's not even fully grown yet!"

Link couldn't help but blush. It had been a while since he'd had a chance to play the hero (a few weeks seemed a lot longer to him). Although it did feel strange having the honour of being a somewhat strong horse.

"We should get him back to the stables though. I'll bet he wants to catch up on his sleep and…."

"Delivery for Cremia!"

All three of them looked towards the entrance to the ranch and saw a skinny brown haired man, wearing a red hat and a white uniform, running quickly towards them. He was waving a letter in his hand.

"Hey Postey! How have you been?" shouted Malon.

He stopped his advance straight in front of them, but he kept jogging on the spot as he spoke.

"No time for talk Miss I have lots more round to do. I have a message here for Cremia."  
He handed Cremia the letter and without even waiting for a thank you, he was off running back towards clock town. Cremia quickly opened the letter and read it.

"Oh no……"

Malon yanked the letter away.

"What is it…. Oh no…."

Usually, Link would have just asked what the letter was about and why it was so bad, but in this form he decided that the best thing he could do was make any noise he could and hope they understood him.

"Neigh!!!!!!!!"

"Sorry Link, do you want to see too?" Malon held up the letter in front of Link. It read:

_Dear Cremia,_

_I hope you and those two little brats are ready because I'm coming for a visit. It's been a while since I've seen any money from that ranch of yours and I want to know why! I'll be over in a few days and you'd better have my money, or else!_

_From your handsome master, Ingo._

Link gasped. He remembered Ingo very well from his adventures in Hyrule. He remembered that in the timeline where he had been aged seven years Ingo had taken over the ranch in Hyrule and had taken great pleasure in kicking out Malon's father and treating Malon like a slave.

"Darn it! I came here to get away from that horrible man!"

Malon ran towards the other end of the ranch without saying a word to either Cremia or Link. Cremia shook her head and stared at the horse.

"I must be really crazy for saying this, but I think you should go and talk to her Link."

Cremia walked towards the house, where Link figured that Romani must have just been waking up. He sighed, and then raced after Malon.

He found her sitting outside a chicken coup, watching a skinny man play with the chicks. She had her face buried in her hands and was crying very hardly. Link trotted up to her and decided to do something he never thought he'd do. He licked her face.

"Huh?"

Malon rubbed her eyes and stared at the horse and smiled.

"Thanks' Link, I like you too."

She reached down and yanked up a handful of grass from the ground, then offered it to Link.

"Well," he thought, "It can't be much worse than that hay."

He slowly began eating it and Malon laughed as he licked her hand.

"'sigh' I'm sorry I ran off like that. I was just upset about that horrible man coming to visit. I used to live with him in Hyrule, but then I left to come and live with Romani and Cremia. He treated me horribly!"

Malon began crying again. Link wished more than anything that he could have been human again at that point, just so he could at least hold her hand and tell her how she didn't need to worry about a creep like Ingo.

"But when I left I had to leave my Mare behind….."

Link stared at Malon. She looked back, and then started laughing.

"What am I saying? I'm talking to a horse! It's not like you can understand or anything. But in a way, it's kinda nice having someone to speak to. Romani and Cremia are nice, but it's not the same."

Malon smiled at Link, and then clicked her fingers as her eyes suddenly lit up.

"I've got it!"

Malon stroked Link's mane and told him to stay still. She ran towards the farm house and within minutes he saw her running back carrying a large object under her arms. Link gasped as he realised what it was. She held it in front of Link's face and smiled.

"You're very own saddle!"

Link took a step back, but Malon quickly ran forward and strapped it to him.

"A perfect fit as well! Up we go!"

Link felt Malon jump up onto his back. She laughed and began stroking his mane again.

"Wanna go for a ride Link?"

Link sighed.

"Ok, now things are getting weird."


	5. Getting to know your masters

I'm glad to see some nice reviews for my story. Thank you! And to show my appreciation, I'm now going to respond to some of my reviews:

'Cool stuff. Continue!'

I plan to : )

'What next?'

You'll find out after you read this chapter.

Ohh...it's getting interesting! Hopefully Link'll meet up with Epona, and they'd be able to talk to each other...and then Epona wouldn't believe that it's Link who she's talking to...and then...wait- it's not my story...lol! I hope you update ASAP! Keep it up, this story is bound to be interesting story alerted

Umm…. Thank you for alerting my story and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Link will probably meet Epona in this one, so no need to feel like you're trying to make me write it. I plan to keep this story going for as long as I can. I have at least three ideas on how to change Link back (if I decide to have him changed back at all) so I'll be able to finish the story any time I want. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Well, some more reviews next time. Also, I would appreciate it if you tell me what you would like to see in this story as it develops further. Mainly, who out of Malon, Cremia and Romani you want me to write more about since I don't want the whole focus to be on Link and Malon. Enjoy this chapter!

It just passed noon as Malon signalled Link to stop his gallop. Link felt weird. No matter how fast he had tried to go or how far he had tried to run, he hadn't gotten tired at all! Malon dismounted and gave Link another hug around his neck.

"Thanks Link. That was just what I needed!"

Link felt as if his face was turning red. Something in the back of his mind told him that what was happening was awful, and yet somehow it felt natural.

"Well, I've got to go and get my chores started. You can play with Romani if you see her around. She's still too young to do any work. Have a nice day!"

Malon waved goodbye to Link and ran off towards the barn. He felt kind of sad to see her go. He somehow had the urge to go and help her some more. He wanted to help her as much as he could. Almost as if he thought of her as his maste…….

"Hey Mr Horsey!"

Link turned around and saw Romani standing in front of him with a smile on her face that couldn't be called anything short of adorable.

"Looks like we have the rest of the day to ourselves. You wanna go and pick some flowers?"

Link thought this over. He knew he had to find a way to escape, but he didn't know where to go if he did escape. On the other hand, he knew that as long as he was on the ranch he would start to feel stranger and stranger. But before he could decide what to do, he found himself in front of a natural flowerbed with Romani.

"I'm gonna make a daisy chain for you Mr Horsey!"

Link started to feel disturbed. He knew he should be feeling scared by this, but he just felt laid back as he stood there watching Romani and nibbling at the grass……… HE WAS NIBBLING AT THE GRASS!

Link looked around and saw a small stream to his left. He walked towards it and dipped his face under the water, before pulling it out and shaking it off.

"I have to keep it together."

He stared at his reflection in the water and then saw an annoyed reflection of Romani joining him.

"Mr Horsey you messed up your pretty mane!"

Romani reached into her pocket and pulled out a horse brush. She just kept going on and on to Link about little things in her life as she groomed him.

"…. And Cremia made eggs for breakfast. I'm not sure if eating eggs is ok though. I wish I could ask our cuckoos what they think about it. I wish you hadn't ruined your pretty mane like that Mr Horsey. You looked really pretty! But don't worry, I'm gonna make you even prettier than before. You'll be super cute!"

Link gulped. He didn't exactly like the idea of being super cute in the eyes of a six year old girl.

"Yeah, grooming horses is what I'm best at. Malon and Cremia will just straighten your mane and give you new horse shoes but I make the horses look like the kind real princesses would ride! It's the one thing I'm better than both of them at."

Link was confused. What did she mean by that?

"Of course I'm too young to do anything to really help out. They treat me lie a baby sometimes….."

Link licked Romani's face, which made her howl with delight.

"Nice to see you understand, Mr Horsey!"

Romani put away the brush, and then picked up her daisy chain off the grass.

"And now for the finishing touch!"

She threw it with direct precision over Link's neck. He felt kind of silly, but he smiled at the fact that at least Romani was having fun.

"There! Now you look like the prettiest Horsey in the world!"

Link decided that he had had enough of being decorated for now, so he decided that it was best to find a way to change the subject while letting Romani keep enjoying herself. He lowered his head and bent down as much as he could with his four legs, without falling over. Romani immediately jumped at the chance and climbed onto Link's back, which still had 'his own personal saddle' firmly attached to it.

"Don't mind if I do!"

Link started at a slow trot towards the horse track, which the other horses were currently grazing on. They moved out of his way as he carried Romani time after time around it.

"Wow Mr Horsey! You could be a race horse some day!"

Link gulped. He felt scared by the fact that he might be stuck as a horse long enough to _become_ a race horse.

Cremia had just finished delivering the milk to clock town and was already half way back to the ranch. She hadn't had any trouble from the Gorman brothers on her way and since she didn't have anything left to steal she figured that she would be fine. She let herself drift away into daydreams as her horses slowly and calmly pulled her cart along the dirt road.

"I wonder if I'll ever meet my own fairy boy like the one Malon met in Hyrule….."

"Wake up you lazy woman!"

Cremia snapped awake and frantically looked around to see who had woken her up.

"Over here!"

Cremia looked to her left and saw a black cart pull up beside her. It was being drawn by four horses wearing dark coloured armour, all with white manes. This sent shivers down Cremia's spine, but by far the worst part was the driver. Ingo.

"So here's the so called ranch owner? My cuckoos could do a better job than you!"

"Be quiet Ingo! Why are you even here?"

"I told you in my letter! I want my money!"

"I don't owe you any money and you won't be getting any charity from me!"

Ingo stared furiously at Cremia. He reached into his cart and took out a bow and arrow, then began firing at Cremia's horses, killing them on the spot. Cremia immediately leapt off her cart to see if they were ok, which Ingo responded to by shooting her in the arm.

"Ouch! What do you think you're doing?"

Ingo smiled as he pointed his bow at her face.

"Running _my_ business. Now show me the way to your ranch! And if you don't have my money then those two little brats of yours will end up like your worthless horses!"

Cremia silently cried as she ripped off her sleeve to cover her arm. She obediently led Ingo to the ranch while having to constantly accelerate as Ingo whipped her and cackled loudly.


	6. New Hatred for Old Enemies

Here's part 6. There's a pleasant surprise at the end : ) But first, here are some more responses to my reviews:

Now I definitely want know What GOES ON NEXT. THE BASTARD...

Well, you're prayers will be answered with this chapter. However, I would like to know which bastard you are referring to as there are many in the Zelda series : )

I wonder what'll happen to Cremia, Malon and the gang. Poor link though, I feel sorry for him. Why was his name branded on his neck? I'd just like to know why, cause it's a little confusing. Update soon:)

Link's name was branded on his neck because that's what came to mind when I thought of how they would find out his name. I'll probably think of some mystical explanation in a further part of the story, since I've decided I don't want to change Link back just yet.

The story is good, but the ending with Ingo just seemed... a little off. But I can't wait for Link to get in there and somehow kick Ingo's hide. I hope that's in the story!

I'm sorry if you didn't like the ending to the last one. I'll try to do better in the future as it seems that a lot of people seem to like this story (at least compared to the people who read my other fan fiction XD). Anyways, you'll be happy to know that Ingo's hide shall be severely kicked and you'll also be glad to see who does it.

Anyways, enjoy part 6!

Malon lifted the last bucket of milk onto the shelf, and then swept the sweat off her forehead. It had been a long day. She waved goodbye to the cows and then raced through the barn door to look for Romani and Link.

"Maybe their over by Romani's wild flower garden."

Cremia collapsed with tears as Ingo dismounted from his cart and spat on the ground of the ranch.

"Pathetic woman! Now, where is my money?"

Cremia crawled to Ingo and grabbed the bottom of his shirt as she cried.

"Please! Leave the girls alone! Whatever you want, I'll get it. Just leave them alone please Mr Ing…"

Ingo slapped her across the face, sending her to the ground.

"I'll get my money whatever happens! Whether or not I decide to have some fun while I'm here is completely up to me!"

Ingo kicked her aside as he walked towards the barn.

"Now, let's see what livestock you've got and… oh? What's this?"

Ingo grinned as he saw a familiar young girl emerging from the barn and running towards the other end of the ranch. He turned back to Cremia, who was still weeping on the floor.

"I think it's time for a little motivation! What do you say Cremia?"

Ingo pulled a cane from his belt and proceeded to follow Malon. Cremia tried to follow him, but she was losing blood quickly from her arrow wound.

"Goddess of courage….. Please help us……"

Link and Romani arrived back at the flower bed. Link neighed happily as he set Romani down and received another hug.

"That was the most fun ever Mr Horsey!"

"Looks like you too had a good time."

Malon waved to them as she approached. She seemed really eager to join them after her hard day's work.

"I finished with the milking! You guys wanna go for a ride?"

Romani shook her head and yawned.

"NO thanks Malon. I just finished having a ride on Mr Horsey. I'm gonna go to the house for a while."

Malon nodded.

"You're right Romani. It's probably time for your nap anyway."

"Yes Brat, you probably won't want to be awake to see this!"

Before Malon could turn to see who was yelling at them, she felt a hard blow across her face and fell to the floor. Romani screamed and hid behind Link as Malon began bleeding over the grass.

"Weak little brat. She's not worth my t…"

Without needing any more incentive, Link ran forward as fast and hard as he could and rammed Ingo with all of his strength. Ingo was on the ground, clutching his stomach almost as soon as Link hit.

"What… what the…"

"Go get him Mr Horsey!"

Link grunted loudly as Ingo tried to regain his feet. He started forwards, protecting Malon from another one of Ingo's blows.

"You stupid horse! I'll turn you into glue!"

Link prepared himself for another attack, which was enough incentive for Ingo to runaway as fast as he could.

"You haven't seen the last of me!"

As the cowardly man ran off, Link quickly turned around and stared down at Malon. She was conscious, but she was in bad shape. She needed to see a doctor.

"Neighhhhhhh!"

Link began panicking as Malon's eyes began to close. He looked around for help and was surprised to see Romani running towards Malon with a full bottle of the ranches' milk in her hands. She quickly, with expert precision and skill, fed Malon the milk and helped her swallow. Within seconds, Malon was back on her feet and crying as hard as she could.

"That horrible man! Why can't he just leave us alone?"

Link proceeded towards her, then snapped as he realised that there was still something very wrong.

"Neigh! Neighhhhhhh!"

Romani stared at Link, puzzled.

"What is it boy?"

Link begged that they would understand him and the gods must have been hearing. Romani and Malon both realised what was wrong and mounted Link as fast as they could as they both screamed in unison:

"Cremia!"

Ingo limped towards his cart, still struggling from the blow.

"How did these idiots manage to breed such a strong horse?"

Before he climbed back onto his cart to retrieve his bow, he looked back at Cremia, who was lying unconscious on the floor.

"I'll send a little message to those brats!"

He walked towards her and readied the bow.

"Bye bye!"

"No!"

Malon leapt from Link's back as he slowed his pace and landed straight on top of Ingo. She desperately tried to wrestle the bow from his hands, as Romani fed Cremia some milk.

"You'll be fine Cremia. Hold on…"

"Get off me you little brat!"

Ingo easily threw Malon aside and leapt to the ground, eager to finish Cremia off. Link saw this and positioned himself between them, ready to take the worst of Ingo's blows.

"You! This time it's going to be a little different!"

Ingo quickly readied his bow, causing Link to slowly retreat. No matter how brave he was, he couldn't reflect an arrow without a shield.

"Now die!"

Link tried to dodge, but Ingo's arrow hit him firmly in the stomach. He yelped in pain, but was just able to keep his feet.

"I have to attack now! Before he fires again!"

Link tried to ram into Ingo, as he had before, but his strength was leaving him and his vision was beginning to turn blurry.

"Mr Horsey! No!"

Romani jumped away from Cremia quickly and leapt up onto Ingo's back. She held on tight and began shouting in his ears. He tried to shake her off, but she was tough for her age and was able to hold on.

"Get off me you little brat!"

"No way! You're not gonna hurt Mr Horsey!"

Malon stood there shaking as she watched her cousin fight the man who had made her life a misery. She needed to help, but what could she do? She didn't have a weapon, there was nothing she could do for Cremia as the milk began to take effect and from the looks of things, Link was down for the count. She looked around, desperately looking for something that could help her. That's when she realised just how much things were on her side.

She ran towards Ingo's cart and unfastened the chains that held the horses together. Calmly so as not to frighten them, she removed their armour. They all had hazelnut skin and white manes. Malon remembered them very well. When she had lived at Lon lon Ranch they had been some of her most promising foals which of course meant that Ingo had taken them from her when he had taken over the ranch. From the way they stared at her, she could tell they remembered her too.

"That's right! That's right! You remember me don't you? I need help! Ingo is trying to kill my…."

Without another word from Malon, the horses charged at Ingo and knocked him to the ground.

"What are you doing you insolent beasts? I'm your maste…"

That was the last word they heard from Ingo as the horses began pounding him into submission with their hooves. As they did this, Malon and Romani ran towards Link, who had collapsed to the ground and had started bleeding heavily.

"Link………"

He woke up back in the stable. It was completely empty apart from himself and one other horse, which he recognised as one of the ones from earlier. She was a bit bigger than him and had a unique white stripe down the middle of her face. Seeing him awake, she smiled and trotted towards him.

"Hey kiddo! I see you're finally awake!"

Link blinked to make sure he wasn't still dreaming.

"Are you talking to me?"

The other horse stared at him, confused.

"Either that or I'm more delirious than you were when we brought you back here. I hear your name's Link?"

Link nodded and tried to stand, but was immediately hit with a sensation of pain in his stomach. The other horse laughed.

"I wouldn't try that kiddo. You got hurt pretty badly and I'm gonna be watching over you for a while. Pleased to meet you! The name's Epona."

There! I finally added Epona to the story! I hope you liked it. Anyways, please leave more reviews. I've had loads more than I ever did writing Sonic fan fic and so I'm only gonna be concentrating on this story for a while. I hope you continue to enjoy it in the future and please tell other people about it : (


	7. Dire consequences

I've been confused about where to go with this story since Ingo is dead and Epona had been added, but then I remembered the Gorman brothers from Majoras mask and I figured that a vendetta was bound to happen : )

This isn't really a new chapter, it's just a prequels to the next big section of the story, which to be honest I could use a few ideas for (I don't plan on having a LinkEpona storyline, so don't get your hopes up). Anyways, please keep the reviews coming.

A dark night at the ranch. Cremia felt disgusted by what she was doing, but she knew she had to honour the dead. She quietly gathered the remains and tried to pile them onto the cart in as neat a position as she could.

"I suppose you deserve some dignity."

After making sure she had gathered everything she needed, she fastened it to the cart, then mounted it herself.

"Ok, let's go. I want to be back in time to make breakfast."

The horses nodded and began their journey to Gorman ranch.

Cremia tried not to look back at Ingo's remains as they continued on. He had been such a horrible person in life and he had deserved what he got, but to think he had met his end on her ranch was saddening and she hoped her, Malon and Romani wouldn't be cursed for it.

They rounded the turn into Gorman ranch and were almost immediately hit with hostile shouting.

"What time do you call this you stupid woman?!?!?!"

"Or are you too dim witted to know the difference between day and night?!?!?"  
The two younger Gorman brothers stepped out in front of her with pitchforks in their hands. Cremia didn't care for their insults, since she was tired of being thought of as weak by this family.

"I've got something for you."

"Maybe it's Ingo's share of your profit! He wrote to us saying that he'd be treating us to a huge banquet when he got his money!"

Cremia sighed, then dismounted the cart and allowed them to look at her cargo, with her bow ready under her cloak, just in case she needed to fight her way out.

"Well let's see what we have he…. Oh my god!"

"Brother!"

Without hesitation, the two Gorman brothers raced at Cremia with their pitchforks, clearly not taking any prisoners. She sighed, then drew her bow and shot at the ground in front of them.

"Come any closer and I'll shoot you. I brought him to you so I could be rid of him forever and I'm leaving right now, so get out of my way!"

Grunting and cursing, the brothers stepped back and allowed Cremia to release her horses from the cart and leave their ranch. She turned back to them, having no sympathy in her expression.

"He got what he deserved."

At that, she left, leaving the two brothers with the task of digging Ingo's grave.

"She will pay dearly for this……."


	8. Adapting to Change

Hey guys! This is SatAMNerd 15 with the next instalment of life in the stables. But first, time for some more review responses:

Wow, this is really good! I love Links coloring! And you brought in Epona! YAY! But where's Navi or Tatl? I thought one of them would be with her, hm. neways, great story I can't wait for the next chapter!

Wow. I hadn't actually thought about Navi or Tatl…… interesting. I'm glad you liked Link's coloring. To be honest I had no idea for what skin color he should have at first, so I looked up horses with blonde manes on ask jeeves images XD. Anyway, thanks' for your kind review.

Wait a minute, Ièm confused. Link brought Epona to Termina, she was still a very young horse. How could she be an adult and how could Ingo tame her anyways. He was never able to control Epona. Ièm really confused, please reply back to this.

Hmmm. I suppose I didn't really think that through. However, your review had made me think and I promise that in the future I will make sure my stories do not clash with the games. Ingo couldn't control Epona when Ganon gave him the ranch and did all that stuff, but since Link made it so it kind of never happened in Ocarina of time I figured I could change it around a bit. P.S, I just figured it out! Link has been in Termina for ages but because he keeps using the song of time he doesn't age much

:3

WOW AWSOME STORY UPDATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE ITS SO GOOD I CAN'T EVEN RATE IT WO

Well, if you thought my story was awesome you could give me a high rating I suppose : 3 I want to update very soon, but it's kind of hard to think of new stories.

That's all for now, please keep reading my story because I plan to keep reading and enjoying your kind reviews. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!

"So kiddo, are your parents here on the ranch? I'd really like to meet them."

Link shook his head. In all truth he had no idea where his parents were, if they were alive at all. In the forest he had heard from the Deku tree that his mother had abandoned him there, but apart from that he didn't know much.

"No. I don't know who my parents are."

Link could see Epona's eyes beginning to fill with tears.

"You grew up without knowing your mom and dad? You're still so young…."

Link smiled.

"I'm doing ok on my own. Besides, I'm not that young."

Epona winked at him and smiled. Her tears were already gone. Link was glad that the first horse he had made friends with was as nice and cheerful as Epona was.

"I'd say you don't look much older than a foal."

Link's jaw dropped. Wasn't a foal basically a _baby_ horse? Epona laughed at his reaction.

"Just kidding! Calm down. It is pretty upsetting that you don't have anyone to take care of you though."

Link stared at Epona. He could tell that she was deep thought.

"Don't worry. I have Malon and Romani for that and Cremia was kind enough to let me stay here. I have plenty of people to take care of me!"

A part of Link couldn't believe what he was saying. It was almost as if he had gotten used to the idea of being a horse. Was it really all that bad?

"Well, it's still not the same as having a real mom."

Link shrugged. He didn't really know what it felt like to have a mom. The closest person to him growing had been Saria and they had only been good friends. He laughed at the thought of how close the mighty forest sage had once been to him,

"Umm, Epona could you do something for me?"

Epona nodded excitedly.

"Anything!"

"Do you think you could get me some ranch milk?"

Epona quickly picked up a nearby bucket full, holding the handle in her teeth and placed it in front of Link, who started gulping at down as soon as it touched the floor.

"Wow. You must really like ranch milk Link."

Link nodded.

"It's really good for wounds and cuts."

"And where did you get experience with wounds and cuts?"

She had no idea.

Cremia didn't say anything to anyone about what she had done the previous night. As far as she was concerned, Ingo was out of their lives and that was that. She had done the right thing by giving his body to his family and so she didn't need to feel any guilt whatsoever. She finished cleaning away her cutlery as Romani and Malon spoke at the table.

"So do you think you're gonna stay now that Ingo's gone or are you gonna go back to Hyrule?"

Malon shook her head and smiled.

"There's nothing for me in Hyrule Romani. I'm staying right here."

Romani's face lit up. She loved having Malon around. After all they had been through she felt more like another sister than a cousin. Malon hadn't really been thinking of going back to Hyrule. Ingo had completely ruined her old ranch and had either sold off or killed most of the animals there. As for her father, he had disappeared shortly before Ingo had taken over the ranch.

"Hey Malon, is Mr Horsey gonna be ok?"

Malon snapped out of her thoughts and smiled at Romani.

"I'm sure he will be Romani. He just needs a little more time for his wound to heal up."

"And then he can take me for another ride?"

"And then he'll let you ride him all day long."

Romani grinned, then jumped off of her seat and ran towards the door. Malon called after her.

"Where are you going Romani?"

She turned back and waved.

"I'm gonna go get Mr Horsey some more flowers. See you later!"

Romani ran out of the house, leaving the door to rattle and creak in the wind. Malon sighed, and then stared over at Cremia, who hadn't said anything all morning.

"Why so quiet Cremia? You're usually really cheerful in the mornings."

Cremia shook her head, still not turning round to face Malon as she spoke.

"It's nothing Malon. Why don't you go and start your chores? I'm sure Link would like some company when you're done."

Malon shrugged, and then walked out, closing the door behind her. Cremia was desperately trying to restrain her tears.

"Keep it together Cremia…… you did the right thing….. You did the right thing…."

Romani happily chose her favourites from her wild flower garden as the morning sun bathed her. She couldn't wait to see the look on Link's face when she gave them to him. After being on the ranch for only a few days Link had already done so much for her, Malon and Cremia. He was the first horse Romani had met that really seemed to understand her.

"I'll bet Mr Horsey would like the blue ones the best. I'd better pick a few more and."

'WHACK'

Romani was out cold in an instant. As she was dragged into the shadows, her flowers blew away into the wind and villainous laughter could be heard around her flower bed.

"Now onto step two."

I finally figured out a new plotline for the story! Yay! Please keep your reviews coming!


	9. More Problems

After thinking of a new storyline for ages I finally thought of one. And when you find out who the villain is this time you'll be quite surprised, at least if you read the previous chapter : )

First though, more review responses! W00t!

Nicely done! Good choice in a plot line I must say! Continue!

Why thank you. I liked my plot line idea too, although I wasn't sure where to go after Ingo died. Thank you for the kind review!

Really? I thought for some reason that you would bring Navi or Tatl in with Epona, and I thought Epona was looking for Link, and (yes another thing to think about) When Epona told Link her name, I thought Link would remember her... lmao, sorry for bombarding you with all these questions, I just thought I'd point it out just incase you didn't see it before. Other than that I love the chappy:3 hehe, and the plot thickens evil theme music dundundun!

Yay! My own evil theme music! I might bring Navi or Tatl in later. I'll probably bring in Tatl with Tael if I do, since I'm not sure what Navi would be doin in termina. I thought about a lot of plot holes when writing this story, so I've decided that I'll try to fix things as the story goes on, but only if the mistakes are really bad. Thank you for the review.

O little creepy but the plot of this story is a unique idea that I've never seen before; I congratulate you for making it a good angle!

You gotta have unique ideas, they make stories interesting! I thank you for your kind review, because originally I thought this story wouldn't really go anywhere. The only way something new and exciting can happen is to try something new and I think a lot of people on this website do it really well!

Thank you so much for your reviews. Please keep them coming.

Epona began yawning as Link finished gulping down the milk. From what he had heard, she hadn't slept since she had started looking after him.

"Why don't you take a nap Epona? There are a lot of empty stalls."

Epona looked completely exhausted, but Link could tell she didn't want to leave him on his own.

"I'm fine kiddo. I'll take a nap when Malon gets back."

"Link! Epona!"

They turned and saw Malon there with a huge grin on her face. Link stared blankly at Epona, who nodded and went off to one of the spare stalls.

"I guess Epona must be a little sleepy. Here Link! I bought you something!"

Malon pulled a carrot from her pocket and fed it to Link, who munched it down happily. Carrots had suddenly become a lot more delicious to him.

"So how are you feeling today boy?"

Link neighed happily. He could tell that if he got good nights sleep he would probably be allowed out of the stable tomorrow.

"Glad to hear it."

Link smiled and neighed with delight as Malon stroked his face. He was really glad that she had come to see him.

"So boy, did Romani come and see you today?"

Link shook his head. He hadn't seen Romani since his injury.

"Well then I guess she must be playing in the house. If I see her I'll tell her to come and visit you. She was asking about you this morning."

Link was happy to hear that. He had gotten really close to Malon and Romani. At first he had hated the idea, but now the thought of belonging to such nice people didn't seem so bad.

"Well, I just came in quickly Link. I need to go and set the table for when Cremia gets back. I'll come and see you first thing tomorrow. Bye!"

Link sighed as Malon waved goodbye and ran out of the stable. He wanted to be able to run around outside again. He wanted to race Epona and watch Romani play in her garden. Being inside for so long was boring!

Cremia wiped the sweat from her forehead as she finished shifting the last of the milk from her cart. Her deliveries were usually pretty easy and quite enjoyable, especially in warm weather. But something else had been weighing her down. She saw one of the bombers walking past, and then called out to him.

"Excuse me little boy!"

He walked towards her and bowed.

"Number two of the bombers secret society of justice at your service misses!"

Cremia stared at him, confused.

"………...Right. Anyway, I was wondering if you could help me. I need to buy some red potion but the store owner says he's run out."

The boy nodded, and then pointed towards the tunnel that led to north clock town.

"I'd go and get a fairy in a bottle from the great fairy fountain miss. They'll heal you up real nice."

Cremia smiled and nodded.

"Thank you…… what did you say your name was?"

"Number two of the bombers secret society of justice misses. We strive to help and bring joy to people everywhere. In fact, take this."

The small boy handed Cremia a blue plastic whistle with a small picture of a bomb carved into the front.

"If you ever need help, just blow the whistle and we'll be right there!"

Cremia tried to stop herself from laughing as she put the whistle in her pocket and handed the boy some rupees.

"I'll be sure to. Thanks again!"

Cremia followed the path into north clock town, wondering how a young boy could hold such responsibility when she could hardly keep her head over something that should have been so easy….

The Great Fairy's fountain was magnificent. It had tiled walls and floors and crystal clear waters, surrounded by what appeared to be the stars of the night sky. Cremia could tell she needn't fear for her safety here. As she approached the water, she heard laughter echoing around her.

"Who's there?"

There was a blinding light and as Cremia shielded her eyes, the laughter grew. As the room returned to normal, she looked back at the water and saw a beautiful pink haired woman floating above it. The Great Fairy.

"Tell me child, why have you come?"

Cremia gulped, and then remembered what she had come to do.

"Great fairy, I need your healing powers for my friend. I was wondering if you could…"

The Great Fairy smiled, then leaned forward and placed her finger on Cremia's lips.

"Say no more, child. One of my fairies will accompany you and heal your friend."

Cremia's eyes lit up.

"Really? Thank you so much Great Fairy!"

"My pleasure. Remember, if you ever need more help from me, you know where to find me."

A fairy floated towards Cremia and flew into her pocket. Cremia turned to leave, but then looked back, confused.

"Great Fairy, I was wondering. Can you heal me?"

The fairy floated towards her and sighed.

"I'm afraid that your wounds can't be healed with magic. But rest assured you have done no wrong Cremia. If anything, you are too sympathetic for your own good."

Cremia gasped.

"Great fairy?"

"You hold remorse and pity for people who don't deserve it. It isn't your place to help them Cremia. People, who cannot be helped, people like the Gorman brothers and Ingo, do not deserve kindness. They are so vain as to expect it no matter what they do, but that's their problem and not yours."

The fairy began to vanish as quickly as she had appeared, but Cremia still heard her laughter echoing all around her.

"While there are others, such as your own family, who deserve all the kindness in the world….."

Cremia's smile covered her face as she left the fountain. She couldn't wait to get home. It wasn't common for a Great Fairy to give free advice and she wasn't about to waste it.

Romani awoke in dark room. She looked around for any sign of light, but wherever she was she was completely sealed in.

"Cremia? Malon?"

There was no answer. She tried to stand up, but she found that she had been chained to the floor. She reached upwards as far as she could and found that the ceiling was very low and she probably wouldn't have been able to stand up anyway. She reached forward with her legs and found the walls all around her were built extremely close together. She couldn't lie down either.

"Hello? Anyone?"

Romani was completely boxed in. She wrapped her arms around herself, it was freezing cold. She didn't know where she was and she didn't know why she was there or who had taken her. But whoever they were, she could tell they weren't friendly.

"Cremia………… help me………"

: O Oh noes! What will happen to Romani? You'll just have to wait for the next part. And you may be surprised as to who the villain is this time : )

Please keep reading and reviewing : D


	10. Calm before the storm

Sorry I haven't updated recently, I've been in America for the last few days for a competition. However, I finished the next past and now the mystery villain shall be revealed! But first, REVIEWS!

OH NOES! sniggers Lemme guess... Its Mr. Tingles isn't it? lmao, no it can be someone OBVIOUS, so it has to be, Skull Kid? Epona? Bomber Kids? Great Fairy? Or is it... dundundun Tatl? gasp lol, I still don't see how come Link doesn't remember that Epona is his... neways, nother chapter plezeezes!

I'm afraid that none of your guesses are right : ) Although I am confused as to why you thought Epona would be the villain : S

must...find...out...what...happens...ne..xt...very well done! keep your skilled muse well fed, lol

Erm…. Thanks. You shall be finding out what happens next now and I hope you enjoy. I was originally gonna spoil the muse by making the Gorman brothers the villain and saying, 'I'll bet you weren't expecting these guys to be the villains after all that stuff I said. So it's a surprise story after all!' lol.

Anyway, enjoy this chapter!

Sakon giggled excitedly as he listened to Romani screaming from inside the box. His demonic smiled covered his whole face as he thought of how much money he could make holding her for ransom.

"Time to let her out I think!"

Sakon flicked a switch and the walls of Romani's prison collapsed around her. She smiled to be free at first, but sighed with disappointment when she realised that she was still chained to the floor.

"The young girl is awake finally?"

Sakon skipped towards Romani and took a bow. She backed away as far as she could without the chains holding her up.

"You shouldn't bother. You will make me a lot of money yes?"

Romani couldn't speak, her fear wouldn't let her. She started sobbing loudly as Sakon took another bow.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sakon, the master thief of Termina. You have heard of me yes?"

Romani shook her head. She didn't leave the ranch much, since she had enough fun there, but when Cremia took her into Clock town she heard a lot of roomers and as far as she knew there weren't any about anyone named Sakon. The strange man glared, and then kicked Romani across the face, knocking her unconscious.

"Foolish girl. She cannot insult me! When I get my money they will be getting her back in many pieces yes?"

As he continued talking to himself, Sakon placed another box over the unconscious Romani and set about writing his ransom note. The ranch had been making a lot of money recently and as far as Sakon was concerned, with two young girls on the ranch it was all easy picking.

Link felt energy rushing through his body as the fairy worked her magic. Soon all of the pain he felt was gone. He could stand up easily and even pranced around the stable a few times, while Cremia and Malon stood there laughing.

"You like being back on your feet eh boy?"

Link neighed happily. He looked over at Epona, who was still fast asleep. Malon nodded, and then set about waking her up. Her drowsy eyes opened completely when she saw Link on his feet. She stood up straight, ran towards him and stroked the side of her face across his mane.

"Good for you kiddo."

Malon smiled as she saw them together. They had never met before Link's injury and they were completely different ages but Link had really bonded with Epona.

"Looks like you got yourself a new mommy Link!"

Link instantly turned away from Epona and blushed. Malon took this as a signal that she had said enough so she began opening the stable doors completely, as she continued sniggering under her breath. Link couldn't even look at Epona as they galloped out of the stables and out onto the field.

Cremia stared at Malon and laughed as she saw her waving at the horses as they galloped away.

"You've been a lot happier lately."

Malon nodded.

"I've got a lot to be happy about! Ingo is gone, I have Epona back and Link is ok!"

Cremia loved how Malon still had so much of her innocence.

"You know that I love you don't you Malon?"

Malon stared at her cousin, confused.

"What do you mean Cremia?"

"Ever since I took you in you've been like another sister to me and Romani. I would do anything for you."

Malon laughed and then ran into Cremia's arms and hugged her.

"Why are you telling me Cremia? I already know!"

Cremia smiled and hugged back.

"Just making sure."

It was almost midnight at the ranch. Link and Epona had been running around the ranch non – stop ever since the stable doors had been opened and they were both completely exhausted.

"What's wrong kiddo? Out of breath already?"

Link laughed at Epona, who was panting and sweating as much as him.

"Look who's talking! I think you must be getting old!"

Epona's expression immediately darkened. She roared at Link, who ran several yards away before turning back to see Epona laughing her head off.

"And I think you're still a scared little foal!"

Link grunted at her and then trotted back towards her, still hardly able to look her in the eye.

"Well whatever. I think we should head back to the stables now anyway."

Epona nodded her head and laughed as she and Link started to make their way back to the stable.

"Yeah! Cute little horsy needs his sleep after all!"  
Link was about to turn around and argue back, when he saw a mysterious figure moving in front of them.

"What was that?"

Epona stepped forward and looked around curiously.

"I don't see anything. Is the cute little Horsey afraid of the dark?"

Link ignored Epona's insults and gazed closely into the darkness. After about five minutes, he heard a strange noise coming from the house. It sounded like a high pitched squeal and left a strange feeling that couldn't be called anything except creepy beyond all reason as it echoed through his ears.

He ran towards the house, closely followed by Epona and looked for the source of the laughter. He looked as hard as he could, but he couldn't find anyone around the sides of the house.

"Maybe it was just my imagination."

He sighed at Epona, who was still laughing and started back towards the stables.

"Ha! Stupid animals are no match for Sakon's genius!"

Link and Epona looked up and saw a tall thin man wearing a white shirt, blue trousers and red shoes cackling at them from the roof of the house.

"Who the hell are you?" Link shouted, briefly forgetting that he couldn't talk to humans anymore.

The man laughed, and then reached into a sack he had over his back and pulled out a strange red mask with a demonic glowing eye at its centre. Link immediately recognised it as the mask of truth.

The mysterious man put it on and then leapt down from the roof and took a bow.

"Greetings beasts! I am the great Sakon, you're new master!"

Link and Epona looked at each other blankly, and then burst out laughing.

"Foolish beasts! Answer to your master now!"

Epona stepped forward and grunted at the man.

"How about we get rid of this trespasser Link?"

"Foolish beasts believe they can harm me?"

The two horse's jaw's hit the floor. Sakon understood what they were saying?

"Two horses wish to harm their new master? How rude!"

Epona spat at the thief's feet.

"You think you're _our_ master? You must have a deku stick wedged in your brain!"

The thief glared at them. He clearly hadn't expected this.

"It appears that some beasts have strong wills after all. I'll just have to claim you two with my money. You would be useful to me yes?"

Link was confused. Was that a question?

"You'll see me again!"

At that the thief clapped his hands and was surrounded in smoke. As it cleared they could see that he had vanished. Epona just laughed and turned towards the stables.

"Wow. What an _original_ exit."

The next day, Epona and Link woke up early and were talked about the night before as they ate their breakfast.

"Who the hell did that guy think he was? Did he think we were stupid or something? As if we'd just abandon the ranch and go and work for him! Smart horses like us would never do something like that right Link?"

Link nodded, still confused as to whether he was a horse now or if he still thought of himself as a human trapped in a horse's body. He had been thinking about changing back less and less lately.

Suddenly, Cremia and Malon burst into the stables. Their faces were wet with tears and they were both clutching their bows. Cremia practically threw a saddle onto one of the other horses in the stables as Malon tried as calmly as she could to fix Epona up with hers. Link wondered as to whether or not they were going to do the same to him.

"Hurry Malon! We have to hurry!"

Without another word of explanation and without even giving Epona a chance to turn around and say goodbye they galloped away. Link walked forwards, trying to get a better view of where they were going, when he noticed a small piece of paper on the ground. He bent down as much as he could and began reading.

_If you ever want to see the little brat you call Romani again, meet me in East Termina field today at noon. We shall talk about a ransom there. If you do not some, I shall sell your child to the Pirates as a slave! _

_From the infamous grinning thief, Sakon._

Link didn't need another word of motivation. He instantly began galloping full blast after the others. Romani had been kidnapped!

I'm glad I managed to think of a villain that none of the people that have reviewed my story have guessed. I just hope I manage to make this work, since the stories getting a little complicated. Oh well. Please leave more reviews and please tell others about the story. See you next time!


	11. I'll save your life tonight

I'm sorry it's been ages and I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but then again, it just means more tension for you guys : ) Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'll write the next one as soon as I can.

Life in the Stables – part 11.

In east Termina that night, with his captive securely locked away, Sakon waited impatiently for Cremia and Malon to arrive.

"Where those lazy farm girls? How dare they keep the great Sakon waiting?"

"Let Romani go right now!"

Sakon looked to his left and saw Malon and Cremia taking aim with their bows. By the looks of things, they were hoping he'd put up a fight. Sakon simply laughed.

"Do the stupid girls think I wasn't expecting this?"

Sakon a deku nut onto the floor, which exploded with a blinding light. The girls tried to cover their eyes, but soon found themselves completely dazed. They tried to walk towards Sakon to get a better view of him, but they both fell to the floor. Malon desperately started crawling around, looking for any sign of her sister.

"Arghh! Romani where are you?"

"Malon?"

"Enough!"

Sakon ran towards Malon and delivered a powerful forwards kick right into her face, which sent her flying in clock town's direction.

"I won't speak with the medium one! Where is the tall one?"  
"Right here."  
Sakon turned around and found himself with an arrow on the tip of his nose.

"Now, you're going to tell me where my sister is and then you're going to let her go. And then maybe, just maybe I'll let you leave with your eyes still in your sockets."

Sakon giggled at Cremia's threat.

"You want to know where she is. She's right in the line of fire of a mecha – bombchus! And as soon as I say the word she gets blown to smithereens!"

Sakon leapt backwards, clutching his stomach with laughter. He danced around in front of Cremia, who suddenly realised things had just gotten a lot worse.

Link ran as fast as he could towards the meeting place. He remembered the laughing thief well. On his first visit to Hyrule castle he had encountered him running around the stalls stealing from everyone and even in clock town he had seen him stealing from old women. If he knew Sakon as well as he thought he did, things wouldn't end when Cremia handed over a ransom.

As Link thought of Romani, scared in Sakon's clutches, he couldn't help but remember some of the first words she had said to him.

"And now you're part of our family too Mr Horsey….."

"Don't worry Romani. I'm on my way!"


	12. The Return

I have to say that I'm really sorry that it took so long. I've had tonnes of school work recently and it's been hard to think of an ending. But here it is! Enjoy!

Life in the Stables - part 12

"Fine then. What do you want from me?"

Sakon grinned at Cremia's forfeit. He knew that as long as Romani was in danger she would do anything to help.

"That's better! Now, where should I start?"

Sakon was spoiled for choice. Originally the plan had been to force Cremia to hand over her profits from the ranch. But now he realised that there was so much more to choose from: The livestock, the shares in the clock town milk bar, even the ranch itself!

It was then that Sakon remembered something. Money was precious to him. He didn't care for things like property in particularly, it was just being able to get his money out and look at it, or knowing that he had more wealth than whoever he saw in clock town could ever hope to possess. However, there was one thing that he loved more: revenge. Since the previous night he had been longing to get back at two certain horses that had made fools out of him.

"Well? Are you going to tell me or not?"  
Cremia was trying to stay strong, but she could feel tears forming in her eyes at the thought of what would happen to Romani if Sakon lost his temper with her. But in his situation, Sakon was far from angry.

"Why don't we start with that hazel beast you have over there? I do believe I thought of a better use for those arrows of yours."

Epona, who had been watching over Malon since she saw Sakon attack her, suddenly looked back towards him.

"Maybe I'll let you buy your sister back right now, but first I want that horse strewn all over Termina field!"

Link was closing in fast. He could see Cremia and Sakon in the distance, talking. He hoped that he would get there in time to give them some back up.

"Almost there….."

Suddenly, a bright light engulfed Link and then, there was nothing.

Cremia, with tears in her eyes, pulled at Epona's mane as she walked back towards Sakon, who was getting ready to fire an arrow. Epona knew full well what was going on and also knew that it was all for Romani's benefit. She was more than happy to do it, knowing that tomorrow Romani could be playing in her flower patch again. Cremia looked up at the horse, who even at this moment in time wouldn't allow herself to cry.

"I'm sorry."

Epona leaned forward as she walked and licked Cremia's face.

"It's ok."

Link awoke in a green valley, bathed in the light of a sun in a cloudless sky. He stood up and shook his head, trying to remember what had happened. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of water, then drank it down in one gulp.

"What happened…….. Wait!"

Link was shocked as he looked down at his body. His arms and legs were back to normal, his clothes were back and his weapons were firmly set on his belt. He was human again!

"What? Where are Cremia and Malon? What happened to Romani?"

"Calm yourself hero."

Link turned around and saw a young woman dressed completely in green. The sun seemed to reflect off of her face, which gave her an image worthy only of a goddess.

"Farore…."

The goddess smiled and approached Link, who stumbled backwards and fell. He had forgotten what it was like to have toes.

"Indeed, Hero of time. I and my sisters have been watching you and we have come to help."

Link got off the floor and approached the goddess.

"Help with what? I don't need help."

"I'm afraid you do, young hero. The Stalfos curse that altered your body has changed you. You have noticed this and yet it overcame you. You have been thinking and living as an animal does and the goddesses cannot and will not leave the hero of time to such a fate."

Link's head began to hurt. All of his mixed feelings about his transformation seemed to be crashing together in his head.

"Why? I was happy living on the farm with Malon, Cremia and Romani!"

Farore shook her head.

"Correct me if I am wrong hero, but at first you were terrified of your transformation."

"That was before I got to know them! They all treated me like family! I was happy! Maybe I don't want to be the hero and go off slaying monsters anymore!"

"That is another phase of the curse hero. Your mind has become like that of a horse and yet your heroism has shone through twice since your transformation. Have you forgotten why you fought so hard in Hyrule? You valued everyone you met on your journey and the thought of what would happen to them if you just gave up was what kept you going. Well now you are faced with this choice again hero. If you give up your life as a warrior, then the people you have come to love will be killed. And may I say, they have come to love you as well; in any shape or form."

Epona shut her eyes and gritted her teeth as Sakon aimed the bow.

"This is it….. Sorry kid, no more races….."

Sakon shrieked an evil laugh and fired the bow.

"The day a beast makes a fool of me and gets a way with it is the day the moon crashes into the earth!"

Sakon waited eagerly for Epona's squeals of pain as she fell to the floor, but all he heard was a light chinking noise. He looked up and was terrified when he was met with the sight of a huge metal shield in the way of his arrow.

"I can't remember why I ever thought I could give this up!"

Link ran forward with his sword and lunged at Sakon who could only dodge.

"You will stop or the girl will die!"

Cremia stared in disbelief at what was happening. Her thoughts came back to her as she heard Sakon's threats and tried desperately to think of a way to help the strange hero that had appeared. It was then that she remembered exactly what she needed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the whistle that the bomber had given her. She blew as hard as she could and then waited for a response.

"You called?"

Cremia stumbled back in surprise as five young boys appeared in front of her.

"Bombers secret society of justice reporting for duty!"

Cremia pointed at Sakon and shouted.

"That man has my sister locked away somewhere nearby! Find her!"

"Bombers away!"

As quickly as they had appeared, the bombers took off looking for Cremia.

Meanwhile, Link was growing weary as he tried desperately to hit Sakon. As weak as he was, he had amazing agility and was able to dodge Link's blows as if he could see where they were going to strike before Link did.

"The lazy hero cannot catch me! I'll be back for the small girl and the horse!"

Sakon ran as fast as he could away from Link, who was wheezing heavily as he tried to catch up. Suddenly though, Link heard a galloping noise behind him. From his experiences as a horse, he was able to understand what was being said as he leapt up and landed on Epona's back.

"Let's go get him kiddo!"

Epona galloped with all her strength and speed after Sakon, who almost seemed to be walking backwards at the rate Epona advanced on him. Link smiled at the horse, drew his bow and fired.

"Aaargghhh!"

Sakon fell instantly, cold and lifeless, to the floor. Unfortunately for Link, Epona couldn't see where she was going through her pride and tripped over the corpse as they rode past. The last thing Link remembered was flying forwards.


	13. Where a hero can call home

Link awoke in the barn, back at the ranch. He rubbed his head and looked around.

"Ouch…. Way to spoil the rescue Epona…."  
"Well you should have made him die in a more convenient place!"

Link looked up and saw Epona grinning at him. She quickly began licking his face.

"Ha ha ha. Thanks for the help by the way."

"It was nothing kiddo. It was the least I could do after you saved me from getting that arrow through my skull."

They laughed together for a while, causing Link to forget about the pain in his head. He quickly remembered it however when her felt someone jump onto his back and hug him.

"Yay! Mr horsey is awake!"

Link was surprised the Romani could recognise him in his human form, but he couldn't help but laugh as she told him over and over again how happy she was that he was ok. Suddenly though, she stopped.

"You don't mind if I still call you Mr horsey do you?"

Link smiled and shook his head.

"No Romani, I think it's kind of catchy."  
"I always thought so too."  
Malon and Cremia walked into the barn and sat down with Romani and Link. Cremia was the first to speak.

"You gave us quite a scare there Link. After the bombers helped us to bring you back here we laid you down here and you didn't wake up for three days!"  
Link nodded, then leaned forward and hugged Cremia as hard as he could.

"Thank you… all of you…. I thought that after I changed back maybe you would…"

"Forget about you?"

Malon stood up and wrestled Link to the ground, laughing as they went.

"How could we ever forget about you? We said you were part of our family and we meant it!"

Link gave her a sly smile, and then tried to wrestle himself free. He was shocked. He could take on monsters a hundred times his size and yet he couldn't break free from the grasp of a girl his own age.

"Which is just as well since I have a spare bed in my room."

After asking politely, Malon got off of Link and they all stood up. Link couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You…. You'd let me stay?"

Malon stared at Link as if he hadn't listened to a single word she had said.

"Uh -huh. After all you've done for us we weren't just gonna turn you away. We want you here with us. Not off fighting all those monsters! That's right, I remember you; fairy boy."

Link was gob smacked. He felt like he had enough shocks for one day already and he had only been awake for ten minutes. He looked at Cremia and Romani, who nodded eagerly.

"Sure, I'll stay. Even heroes need a place to stay."

Romani jumped back onto Link's back, screaming with joy. Cremia however, had a smile on her face which said that there was a catch.

"Unfortunately the spare bed needs a mattress and that won't be here until tomorrow. So you'll need somewhere else to sleep. Any ideas Link?"

Link grinned, knowing exactly what they wanted to hear. He looked over at Epona, who was laughing her head off.

"I guess one more night in the stables won't hurt me."

The end!

Yep, I actually finished a story! I'll now be able to focus on my other main story: New world, new problems. So the next chapter for that should be up soon. I hope you enjoyed this story and if u thinks I'm half decent at writing Zelda fan fiction, I'm working on another story called Days before legends, which is an account of Link's early days in Kokiri forest (thank you to Forest Girl Kaz for the spelling correction). Anyways, I hope you enjoyed Life in the stables, because I sure as hell enjoyed writing it!


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